Wesley Church

People Blessing People

Daily Devotional September 15

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”

-Psalm 122:2, NRSV

For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

-Matthew 18:20, NRSV

While we waited for her teacher to log on to her remote classroom, Ellie began coloring furiously. A few minutes later, she presented her masterpiece, beaming. “Look, mama!” she said. “It’s you and me going to church in your car!”

Sure enough, all the pieces were there. Me and Ellie (apparently dressed in matching orange outfits). My blue car. The sun in the sky and grass beneath our feet. When I asked where the church was, she told me she ran out of paper. 

Ellie has church on her mind. Maybe it’s her pastor mom coming home after livestream worship… or the Zoom she had with her Sunday School teachers… or the worship service she watched on our living room TV… but for whatever reason, Ellie has church on her mind. She longs to be at church — in the church building, on Sunday mornings — with all of you. 

I hear you, Ellie. We all hear you. We long to echo the psalmist, saying: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’”

But for now, we’re not in that season. Covid-tide isn’t the season of “let us go to the house of the Lord.” Covid-tide is the season of “where two or three are gathered in my name [even over livestream or by phone or by mail or by Zoom], I am there among them.” (Yes, I added to Jesus’ words. I hope he won’t mind.)

This week, I’m reminding Ellie that Christ is still among us, still binding us together, even when we can’t be in the same physical space. And really, I’m not reminding her. I’m reminding myself. I’m reminding all of you. Christ is among us, even when we’re not among each other.

Blessings,
Pastor Candy

Hold fast to that, friends. After all:

Our God is bigger than coronavirus. 
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too. 
We are people blessing people. 
We are Wesley Church.   

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